The Tutor.com Blog

Working with the U.S. Military has led our team to some exotic locations (Hawaii!), but most importantly as we travel to events across the country we always meet amazing people. One of these inspiring individuals is Patty Barron, the Director of Family Programs for the Association of the United States Army (AUSA). Patty’s energy and enthusiasm for supporting military families is legendary. It’s no surprise that she has a great family, including a son who regularly uses Tutor.com. Patty and her son Joe squeezed us into their packed schedule to share some thoughts about online tutoring, Eagle Scouts and what it means to be a military family.

Tutor.com:  Besides your role at AUSA, what is your connection to military families?

Patty:  My husband (Col. (R) Michael Barron) recently retired after spending 30 years in the Army. In some ways I grew up in a military family because I was just 22 years old when I got married and my husband’s first assignment was in Germany. We had our first child there and we learned quickly to depend on ourselves and our friends. We didn’t have family close by, but our military friends were there for us. I love how diverse the military is, and yet we share many of the same values, including pride of our country and of our families and the importance of education.

Tutor.com:  So Joe, you are growing up in a military family. How does that affect your school life?

Joe:  I’m in 11^th grade and I’ve moved five times.

Patty:  My older children moved eight times! They went to four elementary schools, two middle schools and three high schools. That’s a lot of change. When you move so much you can’t request your teachers and you don’t know the lay of the land.

Tutor.com:  Joe, how have you handled all of the moves?  

Joe:  I make sure to be really active and join a lot of after-school events to meet people and make friends. I’m not a great runner, but I joined the cross country team. I’m also part of the stage crew for school plays and I’m working on becoming an Eagle Scout.

Patty:  I have to interrupt and brag a little about his Eagle Scout project. He just finished a 64-foot bridge to connect the Wounded Warrior Trail to the wildlife refuge to help extend the hiking experience. He was actually very sick that weekend. We had him in the Emergency Room on Friday and on Sunday he was out building a bridge!

Tutor.com:  That’s worth bragging about! Joe, we know when you’re not building bridges, you’re getting ready for the SATs or finishing homework for your tough schedule of Honors English, German, Pre-Calculus and AP Biology and History classes. Why did you start using Tutor.com?

Joe: My mom told me about Tutor.com, and for the first two months I didn’t think I needed it. Then during my final math exam I decided to get online and work with a tutor to study. I had the tutors help me with all the problems I got wrong during the year. I got an A on that final. Now I use Tutor.com pretty regularly for help with pre-calculus, and I work with English tutors to proof my papers and help with grammatical mistakes.

Tutor.com:  What do you like best about online tutoring?

Joe:  The tutors help show me the process to use and break down the problems. I like having one-to-one time to ask direct questions. No matter where I am, I can just get online and get help. I also like connecting to tutors on the iPad.

Patty:  My older kids were very bright, but they were at the mercy of what I and their father could help them with, which is mostly writing. Neither of us was great at math. Tutor.com would have really helped my older children.

Tutor.com:  We are always impressed with how military children seem to handle themselves and excel at school. Do you think there is something about being in a military family that supports this?

Joe:  All military kids are proud of their parents. We are so proud of our family and we never want to let them down. We want to make them proud.

Patty:  You have to be very well educated to move up in the military and our kids see that. We really value our families and a great education.

Tutor.com:  What advice would you give to parents and students who may be struggling a bit with school?

Patty:  I learned a lot from the experience of raising my two older children (now 29 and 27 years old). Parents need to know that their kids will be just fine. If they don’t go to Harvard, that is okay. You need to know your children and what they can do and really push them to be their best. I have a nursing degree and a master’s degree in counseling, and I always gave my children one mental health day a quarter. Just to give them time to sleep or catch up on homework or whatever they needed.

Joe:  Talk to your teachers and let them know you are trying. They will help you. It’s good to figure out the best way you learn. For me, working with a tutor online is the best way for me to get help.

Patty: I just want to add that it’s an enormous benefit for students to have access to Tutor.com to get help. I really love the program!

If you’d like to learn more about Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families go to www.tutor.com/military .

This year Operation Homefront declared April 13^th PURPLE UP day to show your support for Military Children. Once Tutor.com got wind of it, we knew we wanted to participate. So, today we got a few members of the Tutor.com team to wear their various shades of purple: eggplant, lavender, violet, etc. Luckily enough we were able to all pile into the picture behind the purple Tutor.com for U.S. Military table drape that you may have seen at an event near you!

Another way we wanted to celebrate Military Children this April was by sharing what they have to say. We receive thousands of post-session comments from students after they finish up working with a tutor, and many of these comments are quick to put a smile on our face.  Check out below what students from National Guard and Reserve families shared with us these last few weeks!

“I was having a bad night with math and I was really frustrated and not in the mood to talk with anyone. But when I got Alexandra, I felt way better. She helped me with my math and was so nice! She was really bubbly and fun. Thanks for everything Tutor.com!”  —7^th Grade Student in Army National Guard family

 “Thank you for making this free for the military I am very thankful. Doing homework is a pain when I don’t know how to do it. Luckily I have tutor.com to help me when I’m in need. Thank you!” —9^th Grade Student in Army Reserves family

 “This was the first time I had used this and the first tutor I got was of great use to me!! I now can look at my homework and know what to do!!! He was great!! Thanks!” —7^th Grade Student in Navy Reserves family

 “This has helped me so much and I can now understand my homework which helps me understand what is going on in class as well.” —10^th Grade Student in Army National Guard family

For more information on Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families click here.

Last Sunday kicked off the Month of the Military Child. Honoring and celebrating the youngest members of military families, this month allows us to bring special attention to their sacrifices and bravery.

Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families was recently featured on CNN Headline News. We were so excited for this segment to air in order to alert U.S. National Guard and Military Reserve members that their children could receive 24/7, free, on-demand access to our online tutoring and homework help services. Check out the segment below!

National Guard and Reserve families don’t live on military bases, they live in local communities. If you know of a National Guard or Reserve family in your neighborhood, feel free to share this video and the news that their children can get free tutoring and homework help.

For additional information on how to recognize your military child for the Month of the Military Child, head to Blue Star Families. For more information and eligibility for Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families, click here.

March kicked off conference season here at Tutor.com. We headed to Philly for Innovations 2012 hosted by the League for Innovation, to Chicago for the T³ International Conference and then ended the month back in Philly for both the Public Library Association Conference and the ASCD Annual Conference. Suffice it to say, we have been busy! Throughout our travels however, we’ve stayed on top of trends in the marketplace. From the beginnings of a national effort to adopt digital textbooks, to a PEW report focusing on the ever changing demands of libraries in hard economic times, to Connecticut legislation moving away from remedial college classes, a lot has been going on. Check out our top reads below!

U.S. Officials Tackle National Adoption of Digital Textbooks  via Education Week: The Federal Communications Commission, the newly formed LEAD Commission, and the U.S. Department of Education met today with textbook publishers and technology providers in Washington to discuss the future of digital textbooks in K-12 classrooms.

The Library in the City: Changing Demands and a Challenging Future report via Pew: Big-city public libraries have rarely been as popular as they are today and rarely as besieged. The hard economic times of recent years have generated increased demand for the free and varied services libraries provide, even as revenue-challenged local governments have cut back on contributions to library budgets. All this comes at a time when libraries are being asked to perform a new and changing range of functions. This report looks at how Philadelphia is faring and the challenges facing urban libraries across America.

Measure Would End No-Credit Remedial Classes at Colleges via The Hartford Courant: Students at community colleges who take at least one remedial course are about half as likely to graduate in three or four years as students who don’t. Now state lawmakers have gotten behind legislation that would eliminate no-credit remedial college classes by 2014, replacing them with regular credit-bearing classes that come with embedded remedial support for students who need it.

Tutor.com App Now Available Through Boopsie via Boopsie.com: Tutor.com and Boopsie, the leading mobile solution for universities and libraries worldwide, announced the availability of Tutor.com through the Boopsie platform. The partnership will make it easy for library patrons whose libraries subscribe to both services to access a live tutor anytime, anywhere through the Boopsie native mobile app.

Educational Opportunity for Military Children via The Huffington Post: The vast majority of the 1.2 million school-aged military children attend public schools. While there are schools that are models of how to support military students, most are still not equipped to help these students manage the stresses of military life. Worse, many school districts, including some near military bases, have no idea if there are military students in their classrooms, let alone how many. How can schools support military students if they don’t know who they are?

Did we miss something? Let us know what your top read for March was in the comments section below.

We were thrilled when former Marine Captain Meg Sauvé joined Tutor.com’s military and federal programs team to travel across the country meeting National Guard and Reserves families at various events. These events are often held over the weekend in a local hotel. There is heat (or air conditioning) food and generally lovely, creature comforts. Meg has a great time meeting military members and letting them know that tutoring is indeed free to their family thanks to the Department of Defense MWR Libraries and the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration program. But this weekend, Meg was back in camouflage, a full pack of gear and even a gas mask in the hot New Mexico sun to honor WWII veterans and wounded warriors in the 23^rd Annual Bataan Memorial Death March. We are so proud of our colleague. Below is her personal account of the event and its historical importance.

This past weekend I had the distinct honor to participate in the 23rd Annual Bataan Memorial Death March in White Sands, NM. This event is unique among endurance races: it honors those living veterans who survived Bataan and Corregidor during WWII, now numbering less than 100, and memorializes those who perished or have passed in more recent years. Sixteen of these veterans, most in their 90s, joined the nearly 7,000 participants for the event on Sunday, and some even walked the first eight miles of the race.

The Bataan also offered a different opportunity for the team with whom I raced, Team X-T.R.E.M.E. As a Veteran non-profit group which strives to honor, empower, and motivate wounded heroes, our goals coincided with those of the race organizers. Team X-T.R.E.M.E. completed the 26.2 mile course in the “Heavy March” category, wearing full uniforms, 40+ pound rucks, and gas masks throughout. Additionally, we welcomed our newest Warrior Athlete Sergeant Noah Galloway (US Army), a double amputee (left leg and left arm) who carried the exact same gear and also wore the gas mask.

Why would anyone march 26.2 miles in the desert heat while wearing a gas mask? We don the masks as a way to symbolize perseverance in the face of insurmountable odds and overcoming mental and physical obstacles.  In this event we were honored to be able to bring awareness to thousands of wounded warriors from the Afghanistan and Iraqi campaigns as well as pay homage to the tens of thousands of American and Filipino soldiers who surrendered to Japanese forces on April 9, 1942. The Americans were Army, Army Air Corps, Navy and Marines. They were marched for days in the scorching heat through the Philippine jungles. Thousands died. Those who survived faced the hardships of being a prisoner of war. The challenges which we experienced in the mask lasted for hours, while the brave heroes who survived the Bataan Death March and our nation’s current wounded warriors endure their challenges for a lifetime.

Our new Senior Marketing Manager for Military and Federal Programs, Pamela Brehm, understands what it’s like to be in the shoes of many Tutor.com for Military Families clients; because of her parents’ State Department jobs, she spent most of her childhood living and moving around overseas, too.

Pamela’s eager to blend her personal and professional experience supporting outreach for our Military and Federal Programs. An education technology marketer since 2004, Pamela previously worked at Blackboard in Washington, DC and Inspiration Software in Portland, OR. She also spent several years as a Marketing Manager for a major brokerage firm and at a marketing communications agency, where she created marketing and product materials for Hewlett-Packard.

Pamela holds an undergraduate degree in Journalism and Communications from the University of Oregon, as well as the equivalent of a master’s degree in Electronic Publishing and Design. Pamela is based out of our new Tutor.com office in Old Town Alexandria, VA.

Outside of the office, you’ll find Pamela at local orchards, farms and farmers’ markets, buying whatever she can cook, bake or can with. When she’s not elbow-deep in fruits and vegetables, she enjoys traveling, camping and being outdoors with her dog, Yogi.

Please join us in welcoming Pamela Brehm to the Tutor.com team!

Michaela and her family.

Sergeant Master Michael O. of the U.S. Marines has moved every four years of his 26-year military career.   During his last move, from Georgia to Virginia, he brought his wife and two daughters along.  Once his older daughter Michaela was enrolled in her new school she immediately found that the new curriculum was challenging and for the first time she needed extra help.   We caught up with Michael, his wife Marcia, and their eighth grade daughter Michaela to find out how Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families helped them during a difficult academic time.

Tutor.com: One of the reasons the Department of Defense wanted to provide online tutoring to military families is the very mobile lifestyle you lead.   How has that affected your family?

Michael:  I’ve moved many times during my military career, but often my family would stay put to give them stability.  But, for this last move before I retired, the family moved with me.  It was a big adjustment, especially for Michaela who found her classes in Virginia very different from those she had been taking in Georgia.  It really had an impact.  We didn’t realize how different the education systems were between states. 

Tutor.com:  How did you find out about Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families?

Michael:  I was at a meeting at the Pentagon for new community members and someone happened to mention it to me.  I only wish we had learned about the service our first day!  It made a big difference for Michaela.  We loved that Michaela had access to tutoring whenever she needed it.

Tutor.com:  What subjects did you get help in Michaela?

Michaela: I worked with tutors mostly on math.  I would use it to study before a test.  I’d ask the tutor for extra problems that I could work on, especially word problems which are hard for me.  The tutors helped give me tips and then I could do it on my own.  I did better on my tests.   I also got help writing papers.  I really liked working with the tutors.  At the end of the year I had a high B in my math class.

Tutor.com:  What made math so tough?

Michaela:  Moving from my old school to a new one was hard because the classes were different and I didn’t know some of the information.  Tutor.com helped me with everything I didn’t know.

Marcia:  Yes.  I’d say that the tutors really connected the dots from one curriculum to the other.

Tutor.com: Do you have a busy schedule outside of school?

Michaela:  Yes!   I’m a cheerleader and I sing in the chorus.  I’m also in a mentoring program with my mom called Emerging Young Leaders.

Marcia:  Emerging Young Leaders is a program for middle school girls sponsored by a sorority. It helps girls get ready for college and provides culture awareness.  We also recently went to a weekend retreat put on by the Steve Harvey Foundation called Girls Who Rule the World. 

Tutor.com:  You are a busy family!  Michaela, what’s your advice to other busy students who want to get great grades?

Michaela:  You have to be organized and follow your schedule.  Include enough time to study.  And if you have questions, ask during class or go to the teacher before or after school.  I used Tutor.com in the evenings and on the weekends.  It was really convenient way for me to get help.

Have a Tutor.com story you want to share?  Email jkohn@tutor.com.

Welcome Meg Sauvé, our newest Client Services Manager for Military and Federal Programs!

Meg , a South Carolina native, graduated from Emory University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, attended Officer Candidate School, and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps in August 2003. Following extensive training in Quantico, VA and Twentynine Palms, CA, she joined Marine Air Support Squadron 3 at Camp Pendleton, CA and immediately deployed to Iraq as a Tactical Air Director/Helicopter Director in the Direct Air Support Center.

After returning from that deployment in 2004, Meg was promoted to First Lieutenant and worked as a Platoon Commander and Weapons & Tactics Training Program Officer before deploying to Iraq again in 2006 as the Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of an Air Support Element.

Meg spent her last few months on active duty as the Squadron Operations Officer, before being honorably discharged in 2007. Shortly thereafter, Meg was promoted to Captain while serving in the reserves. She began her civilian career in account management and inside sales with a military recruiting and placement firm. Meg has also worked in government contracting roles working on aviation projects, and most recently, she worked with a transition services organization managing the company’s relationship with employer-clients in various industries and aiding transitioning service members entering the workforce.

In her spare time, Meg enjoys outdoor activities like hiking and camping, and is also an avid runner and rower. She currently lives in the Richmond, VA area with her husband Will and their labradoodle, Orlando.

She is excited to be joining the Tutor.com for Military Families team – welcome aboard, Meg!

Meg will be working with our partners in the military community to spread the word about Tutor.com, as well as meeting military families at different events across the country. You can catch her at the Tutor.com booth at the nextAir Force Reserve Command West Region event on Jan 28^th and 29^th in Santa Fe.

In our ongoing Success Story series about how military families are using Tutor.com, we were lucky enough to meet Elizabeth and Kiara W.

Kiara and her family.

Elizabeth grew up in a military family as a self-described “military brat” and is now a military spouse living with her family on Edwards Air Force Base.  Her husband is currently serving a one-year deployment in Afghanistan.

Kiara is a junior in high school taking multiple AP classes and plays guard forward for the basketball team. An excellent student, Kiara found herself struggling with pre-calculus.  The family usually relies on Dad for math help, but with him deployed, Elizabeth started to search for tutoring options. A few months ago she discovered Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families and now Kiara’s C is an A. Here’s how she mastered pre-calculus.

Tutor.com: When did you first realize you needed help with school work?

Elizabeth: I knew Kiara was having a tough time with pre-calculus and her Dad is the one who helps with math, not me! So I started looking on the base and looking online to see what kind of help was out there and if there were any discounts for military families.  Everything was so expensive. We were glad to find Tutor.com. (Note:  Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families is free for eligible military families*.)

Knowing that Kiara can get help whenever she needs it eliminated stress for me and I think this option is better than a lot of the programs I researched.

Tutor.com: Kiara, how has online tutoring helped you?

Kiara: It’s really easy to use. The tutors are always helpful and nice. I’m using it most nights to help with homework or ask questions before a test. I mostly connect to a tutor from our desktop computer, but if I’m studying in my room late at night I just use my iPhone to get help. I like to take pictures of the blackboard or of my textbook and share it with tutor. It’s awesome!

Tutor.com: What’s different about online tutoring from learning in the classroom?

Kiara: At school the teacher usually shows one way of doing something. When I connect to a tutor, they show me a different way and I can understand it better. The tutors make it easier for me.  And sometimes the teacher is moving too fast for me. I know they need to keep on schedule. When I can’t keep up, it’s easier for me to ask a tutor for help.

With the tutors, I can get my work done faster and really understand it, too.

Tutor.com: You have straight A’s and participate in sports. How can other students achieve the same goals?

Kiara: You have to make sure your priorities are straight and don’t be too embarrassed to ask for help. Do your homework first and then worry about everything else.

Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families is funded by the Department of Defense MWR Library Program and Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program. To see if you are eligible for this program, please go to www.tutor.com/military.

Chris L. makes movies but gets his homework done first.

We love hearing from students who are using our service. And we love it even more when students are so excited about having access to live, expert tutoring that they want to tell their friends about it.

A few weeks ago, we found out that Chris L. a Senior from Fort Sam Houston had made not one, not two, but five different videos to let his peers know about Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families. From a hilarious romantic comedy to a horror themed video, they are all fun to watch (links to all videos below).

When Chris isn’t making movies, you can find him participating in the Student Council or helping out teachers and students with a range of technology issues as a tech intern chosen by Dr. Roland Rios, the Director of Instructional Technology at the Robert G. Cole High School. Chris is also one of just 20 students chosen to meet with base leadership to discuss how the base can better meet the needs of students.

We reached out to Chris and Dr. Rios to find out where Chris gets his inspiration from and how he is personally using Tutor.com to increase his math grades.

Tutor.com: We loved your videos!  Great diversity, music and casting.  Why did you decide to create all these videos about Tutor.com?

Chris: I’m a member of our Student to Student (S2S) program and I wanted to do the videos to show other military students that they could get online tutoring. I used iMovie from Mac to make all the movies.

Note: S2S is a popular and important program for military students run by the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC).

Dr. Rios: iMovie is a great program that offers templates for different types of videos. Chris came up with the concepts and did all the work to put these videos together.

Tutor.com:  Chris, were you already using Tutor.com when you created the videos?

Chris:  Yes. I was using Tutor.com regularly last school year for pre-calculus. I had a pretty low grade but I raised it to a high B, low A by connecting to the tutors. I mostly used it to prepare for quizzes and exams. I also use it to have my essays proofread.

Tutor.com:  What do you like about getting help from online tutors?

Chris: I like that it’s a different type of learning environment. It’s private and I don’t feel embarrassed asking questions.  That’s why I thought it would be great to use videos to tell other students about the program as part of Student to Student.

Tutor.com:  Did you get help or tutoring before the introduction of Tutor.com?

Chris:  We have great teachers. They are always available to help after school. But sometimes I’m working later at night and need help then. I got an iPad for my birthday and now I use it to connect to a tutor. I love that tutors are always online to help me.

(Note: The Tutor.com To Go iOS app is available at tutor.com/mobile)

Tutor.com:  It’s your Senior year. What are you planning on doing after graduation?

Chris L: I’m applying to a few  military academies and schools that have ROTC. I want to join the Army like my dad after I graduate from college.

Tutor.com:  You are a really busy and really successful student. What advice do you have for other students struggling at school and trying to balance all of their activities?

Chris L.:  School always comes first. Keeping your grades high is really important. After you take care of homework and school then you balance everything else – activities and friends. When you have problems, make sure to ask for help. Go to a teacher or find out what else is available to you.

Watch Chris’s Videos about Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families

• Horror  
• Romantic
• Male Lead
• Female Lead
• Documentary

Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families is funded by the Department of Defense MWR Library Program and Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program.   To see if you are eligible for this program, please go to www.tutor.com/military.

Tutor.com is proud to offer tutoring to U.S. military families around the world 24/7.*   Many students growing up in military families move frequently throughout their childhood and often attend several schools. Over the last decade about 2 million children have been affected by the deployment of one or both parent(s).  Moves and having a deployed parent can make school work difficult.  That’s where Tutor.com comes in.

Since the service is available around the clock from anywhere and now any device, students can always get the help they need.   Recently we spoke to Kennedy, an 11^th grader whose father is an Army service member deployed in Israel.   She has been using Tutor.com for a few years and is taking an extremely challenging course load including AP U.S. History, AP English Language & Composition, AP Calculus, and Physics Honors.   She does four hours of homework daily.  And somehow squeezes in gymnastics.  We are beyond impressed and so glad to share her story with you.

Tutor.com:  Why did you first start using Tutor.com?

Kennedy:  I’ve been taking advanced math classes since sixth grade.  Success in my sixth grade math class meant I could take Algebra in seventh grade.   Connecting to tutors through Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families has been really important in helping me make it through tough math classes.

Tutor.com:  What are you using Tutor.com for this year?

Kennedy:  AP Calculus! I have an A in the class.  Tutor.com really helps me succeed in math.  I’m also going to use it to help with my college applications.

Tutor.com:  Why do you think online tutoring helps you?

Kennedy:  It’s great that I can use the program anytime.  It’s always accessible.  I’m usually on between 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., but I’ve also had a few 1:00 a.m. sessions!  My favorite part about using the service is that I don’t have to fall behind or wait until the next day to ask the teacher for help.  I’m much better prepared for my classes.

The tutors are very patient which can never be taken for granted. They explain everything really well and they always work with me until I get the problem.

Tutor.com:  If you didn’t have access to Tutor.com, how would you get help?

Kennedy:  I probably couldn’t afford tutoring without Tutor.com.  My Dad would help if he was here, but he’s deployed now.  I always tell my military friends about the program and I know my one friend is using it right now for Organic Chemistry.  I do a lot of homework.  Usually four hours a night and Tutor.com helps me spend less time on math homework.

Tutor.com:  Now that you are halfway through high school, what advice would you give other students who may be struggling with math or other subjects?

Kennedy: My advice is work as hard as you can. Doing the homework is the key to success and finding help when you are struggling. Everyone reaches that point in math class where they just don’t get it.

Honestly, I’m so grateful for this program.  To me, it’s the best benefit for the military and I wish more people knew about it.  I try to tell every military family I know!

Thanks to Kennedy for a Certified Awesome interview.  If you are a member of a military family and would like to try the program, go to www.tutor.com/military.

*This program is funded by the Department of Defense MWR Library Program and Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program.

We’re a tutoring and homework company.  We don’t make video games, music, movies or anything that usually falls into the fun category.  No, we’re more concerned with things like the Krebs cycle, balancing equations, algebraic functions, stuff like that.  Is it fun?  Actually it’s awesome.  Certified Awesome.

Last year we collected thousands of comments from military students who told us Tutor.com for Military Families was “awesome”.  We like that.  And so now we want to find out what else you think is awesome.   That’s why we’re visiting bases across the country and just launched a new Facebook page to celebrate everything that is Certified Awesome.  Like your summer vacation, your pet, your study hangout – you name it. 

So if you’re living on or around Bangor-Kitsap, Camp LeJeune , Charleston (SC),  Fort Bragg, Joint Base Lewis-Mchord, San Antonio, San Diego,  or Whidbey Island  be on the lookout for events and other awesome stuff!   And everyone, no matter where you live, can Like Certified Awesome on Facebook and enter our weekly drawing for an iTunes gift card.  All you have to do is share something awesome!

And when you’re busy studying, doing homework or writing papers, be sure to go to Tutor.com for Military Families and get all the help you need from one of our Certified Awesome tutors!  Remember Tutor.com is free for eligible military families and available 24/7.  Awesome.